Russia scolded Britain on March 11 for saying that President Vladimir Putin wants to see the West weakened by a British exit from the European Union.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond last week said that the only country wanting Britain to the leave the EU was Russia, and Prime Minister David Cameron has warned that Putin's recent "aggression" in Syria and Ukraine makes this no time for London to drop out.

"Russia is being dragged into the domestic debate on Brexit," the Russian embassy in London said in a statement. "Why is the wicked Russia thesis used to explain a Government policy?"

"We'd like the British people to know that those pronouncements have nothing to do with Russia's policy," the embassy said. "As a matter of fact, our Government doesn't have an opinion on Britain's place in the EU. It is for the British to decide. We'll accept any outcome."

Putin has made no public remarks about Britain's referendum on leaving the EU, scheduled for June, though U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping both have said they want Britain to remain in the world's largest trading bloc.